The search to find Scotland’s ‘heritage angels’ is gearing up, with the final shortlist for the Scottish Heritage Angel Awards 2017 revealed today (Wed 27 Sep).
Among the 12 finalists are the Apprentice Guides from the National Mining Museum Scotland (NMMS), who have been shortlisted for the Best Contribution to a Heritage Project by a Young Person award.
NMMS, based at the Lady Victoria Colliery in Newtongrange, Midlothian, worked in partnership with Gore Glen Primary School’s Primary 6 & 7 class to create a brand new tour of the five star visitor attraction. Seven pupils worked with museum staff to create the tour, which was performed for other schools from across Midlothian.
Victoria Robb, Education Manager at NMMS, said: “For NMMS, Gore Glen Primary School and the Apprentice Guides, being shortlisted for a Scottish Heritage Angel Award is a huge honour and consolidates all the hard work the children have put in to the project – from memorising historical facts, learning everything about the safety lamp, to performing in front of hundreds of adults and children. Being shortlisted is a great accomplishment for these children and something they will remember forever.”
Launched in 2014 with funding from the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation (ALWF), and run by the Scottish Civic Trust in partnership with Historic Environment Scotland, Archaeology Scotland and the Scottish Government, the Scottish Heritage Angel Awards celebrates both groups and individuals who have gone above and beyond in their efforts to promote, protect and, in many cases, rescue Scotland’s heritage.
The Apprentice Guides will now join the other finalists at the Scottish Heritage Angels Awards ceremony on Monday 16th October at the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh, where the overall winner in each of the four categories will be announced.
John Pelan, Director of the Scottish Civic Trust, said:” We received many wonderful nominations for individuals and groups right across the country. The scale of their achievements in recording and celebrating local heritage and rescuing historic buildings and sites is truly inspiring.
“Many of the people behind these projects are volunteers and give up their time and energy freely, overcoming many challenges, while discovering and sharing new skills. It is particularly rewarding to learn about the achievements of young people and apprentices, who are sure to be the guardians of our historic environment in the future.
“Our judges now have the task of finding our overall winners. I’m looking forward to celebrating the success and hard work of all our finalists on 16th October.”
The panel of judges will include: author and broadcaster Vanessa Collingridge; architect and Vice-Chair of Scottish Civic Trust Ed Taylor; CEO of Volunteer Scotland George Thomas; and Taylor Dickinson, member of Scotland’s Urban Past Youth Forum.
Alex Paterson, Chief Executive of Historic Environment Scotland, said: “All over Scotland, groups, individuals, volunteers and professionals involved in heritage projects are at the heart of local communities, working tirelessly to protect, preserve and promote our historic environment.
“It’s important we recognise their vital contributions, and The Scottish Heritage Angel Awards are an opportunity to shine a spotlight on their accomplishments and celebrate the difference they make.
“The final shortlist demonstrates the diversity and value of heritage projects throughout the country, and I’d like to congratulate all the finalists on their achievements.”
The Scottish Heritage Angel Awards run parallel to Heritage Angel Awards in England and Northern Ireland. This year, an overall winner from the three award schemes will be selected and crowned at the London ceremony on Monday 20th November.
Andrew Lloyd Webber, whose charitable foundation helped found the Heritage Angel Awards, said: “I’m delighted to champion the people who protect the precious buildings and places around us. Everyone who has been shortlisted for a Scottish Heritage Angel Award has made a significant difference to our landscape and built environment. Congratulations to all of them! This year I am especially pleased that we are crowning an overall UK winner for the first time, showcasing the crucial work that is being done across the country by local heritage heroes.”
Full details of the shortlist for the Scottish Heritage Angel Awards 2017 can be viewed at www.scottishheritageangelawards.org.uk.
Keep up to date with the latest from the Scottish Heritage Angel Awards on Twitter at @ScotAngelAwards.
Hundreds of costumed performers are set to storm Fort George this weekend (12 and 13 August) and in their midst will be some famous faces from the Scottish traditional music scene.
On Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 August, Historic Environment Scotland (HES) are bringing a brand new event to the Highland fortress, in celebration of Scotland’s Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology. Amazing Ages! will explore 2,000 years of Scottish history and culture with an exciting programme of live music and activities for all.
Performers representing different periods in history will tell Scotland’s story through living history camps and a stellar line-up of Scottish folk musicians will be taking to the stage to perform, with a different headline act for each day.
Caledonian Ceildh Trail kick-off Saturday’s line-up, followed by renowned Gaelic singer and band The Margaret Stewart Trio and contemporary champions of Scots song Malinky follow suit. Saturday Afternoon’s line-up concludes with Edinburgh-based six piece Shooglenifty; renowned for fusing traditional melodies with a mixture of contemporary influences.
Multi-award winning Gaelic singer Julie Fowlis is the closing act on Sunday. Deeply influenced by her early upbringing on the Outer Hebridean island of North Uist, she is perhaps best known for singing the theme songfor Disney Pixar’s Oscar winning film Brave.
Speaking ahead of the event, Lorna Ewan, Head of Visitor Experience, Content and Learning at HES, said: “We’re thrilled to be marking the Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology with this brand new event.
“We’re particularly excited to welcome such an array of Scottish musical talent to Fort George, with acts that are sure to create a festival atmosphere at this unique site against the beautiful backdrop of the Moray Firth.
“Amazing Ages! is set to bring the strands of Scotland’s history and culture together in a lively celebration that is not to be missed.”
The event will also offer a host of other hands-on historical activities, with the chance to have a go at traditional skills, meet archaeologists and find out about the fascinating finds that help piece together the puzzles of the past. Visitors are also encouraged to look to the skies as a spectacular parachute drop will take place each day at 3.10pm.
There will be an opportunity to view The Orkney Venus. On show here for the weekend only, the Orkney Venus is the earliest known representation of the human form in Scotland. Carved in stone about 4,500 years ago, it was found in 2009 during an excavation on Westray, Orkney. Visitors will have the chance to marvel at this amazing artefact from Scotland’s past.
Amazing Ages! has been funded in part by EventScotland, a team within VisitScotland’s Events Directorate. Stuart Turner, Head of EventScotland, said: “We are delighted to be supporting the inaugural Amazing Ages! through our National Events Programme.
“In Scotland’s Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology, this fantastic event, held within the iconic fortress of Fort George, will undoubtedly play its part in showcasing Scotland’s rich historic past and cultural heritage with an exciting programme of traditional music acts, fascinating living history camps, reenactments and family activities to entertain visitors of all ages.”
The History Bug will be in full effect as Amazing Ages! takes place at Fort George, near Inverness, on Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 August from 11am-5pm. Tickets are priced £13 for adults, £11 for concessions and £8 for children. Family tickets are also available. Book in advance online and receive a 10% discount.
This event is free for Historic Scotland members.
The Engine Shed is inviting people to come and find out what the new national building conservation centre has to offer as it opens its doors to the public for the first time on Monday 3 July.
Based at Forthside Way, Stirling, the new learning and visitor resource will serve as the national conservation hub, using world-leading innovation to bring Scotland’s built heritage to life through technology and hands-on activities.
Open six days a week, from Monday to Saturday, the centrepiece of the free visitor experience is a large-scale map of Scotland compiled from hi-resolution satellite images, from which additional information can be accessed using an iPad as an augmented reality device, providing people with the opportunity to explore Scotland’s buildings, plus the chance to discover how the Engine Shed is digitally documenting Scotland’s heritage.
To celebrate the opening, from Monday 3 July, visitors can enjoy a suite of activities and workshops, including joining a tour of the building to find out more about its purpose and what it will offer the public, getting creative by carving a masterpiece from soap, or signing up to a talk from Historic Environment Scotland’s Head of Technical Education and Training to hear more about the building’s development from former MOD munitions shed to pioneering learning hub.
Dorothy Hoskins, Technical Outreach and Education Manager at the Engine Shed, said: “We are absolutely delighted to open the doors and welcome the public into the Engine Shed. We have so much planned for the opening with lots of activities and workshops on offer throughout the summer, we really want people to come down and experience the Engine Shed first-hand and get involved in the different activities that are on and find out more about what will be coming up later in the year too.”
People from across Scotland are invited to visit the Engine Shed to find out more about its summer programme of events designed to encourage a greater understanding of Scotland’s historic buildings and traditional craft skills, as part of Scotland’s Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology.
Every week during the summer, the Engine Shed will host different building-related themed activity sessions, talks and demonstrations.
Workshops will include creating pieces inspired by Mackintosh’s designs currently on temporary display at the Engine Shed, which were recovered from the fire that affected the Glasgow School of Art’s Mackintosh building in 2014.
Dorothy continues: “Our summer programme is designed to inspire people and demonstrate the range of skills, materials and technologies that are used in preserving our traditional buildings across Scotland. The Engine Shed is an inclusive space where everyone can come along and discover more about our historic environment through workshops, exhibitions, events, tutorials and training. We hope the public will be really impressed with what we have done with the space and what will be on offer.”
The Engine Shed has also launched eight internship opportunities centred around the new learning and visitor resource. Applicants are being encouraged to apply for the range of internships, covering subjects such as conservation science, climate change, collections management, traditional materials, digital visualisation and conservation architecture.
Each internship will last between 12 – 18 months and will provide students with the chance to learn within its specialist science, digital or climate change teams, studying the impact of climate change on Scotland’s historic environment and the adaptation of traditional buildings.
For more information on the Engine Shed and its summer programme or internship opportunities, please visit www.engineshed.org.
Picture courtesy of Rob McDougall, Copyright 2016
Scottish historic sites are feeling the ‘Outlander effect’ as they celebrate a significant surge in visitor numbers.
The start of the summer season 2017 has seen sites in the care of Historic Environment Scotland which have a starring role in the hit TV series record dramatic increases in footfall from the same period last year.
Blackness Castle – which features in the series as the stand in for Fort William – has seen the most significant rise in visitors, up 72% for the period 1st April to 25th June 2017.
Doune Castle, famed for its role as the fictional Castle Leoch, recorded an impressive 50% increase for the same period.
Other sites which recorded increased visitor numbers after making a cameo appearance in the series include:
• Aberdour Castle 58% increase
• Linlithgow Palace 43% increase
• Glasgow Cathedral 39% increase
The announcement comes as the historical time-travel drama series made its UK terrestrial television debut this week.
Stephen Duncan, Director of Commercial and Tourism at Historic Environment Scotland, who manage 300 Historic Scotland visitor attractions, said: “I’m delighted to welcome this boost in visitor numbers as we continue to celebrate the Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology.
“This is an excellent return on the investment we have made across our estate. At Doune Castle, for example, after upgrading the visitor and retail offering, we have seen retail income increase 62% for the year to date.
“Featuring in Outlander has opened up our sites to a whole new audience, inspiring more and more visitors to come and discover the history behind these places, further demonstrating the enduring value and significance of heritage attractions in Scotland.”
Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs, said: “It’s fantastic to see that the international success of Outlander continues to draw visitors from around the world to visit treasured heritage sites like Doune Castle and Blackness Castle and find out more about Scotland’s rich history and fascinating heritage.
“The TV drama showcases Scotland to international audiences and has helped strengthen the growth we’re seeing in tourism from overseas. I’m delighted Scottish and UK audiences will now be able to watch Outlander on terrestrial TV, and look forward to seeing the impact on visitor numbers to the heritage sites that provide the stunning backdrop to the series.”
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) is leading an international initiative to support communities across Northern Europe in assessing the impact of climate change on historic buildings, archaeological sites and other heritage locations.
Adapt Northern Heritage brings together 15 partners from Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Russia, Scotland and Sweden. The three year project –which started this month– aims to help communities adapt their historic sites to climate change and increase their resilience to its impacts.
As part of the project, HES is working with three project partners: Minjastofnun Íslands (Cultural Heritage Agency of Iceland), Riksantikvaren (Norway’s Directorate for Cultural Heritage) and Norsk institutt for kulturminneforskning (Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research). HES will also engage with eleven associated partners, including Argyll & Bute Council, the National Trust for Scotland and Timespan – Helmsdale Heritage & Arts Society.
To support communities in Europe’s remote northern regions, the project will develop an online tool to assess the climate related risks affecting historic places, and provide guidance for the planning of strategic adaptation measures to limit and manage these risks. The tool will be developed, tested and demonstrated in ten case studies across Northern Europe, two of which will be in Scotland: the historic town of Inverary in Argyll and Bute and Threave Castle and Estate in Dumfries and Galloway. The project will also create a community network with a discussion platform, round table workshops and training events.
Ewan Hyslop, Head of Science and Technical Research at HES, said: “There are a number of challenges faced by regions in Europe’s Arctic and Northern periphery, with its remote locations and geographically dispersed communities, which make it difficult to manage cultural heritage in ways which actively take climate change into account.
“Adapt Northern Heritage will support stakeholders by helping to build capacity and provide tools that will enable communities and authorities in northern European regions to cope better with the complexities of historic site management in times of a changing climate.”
Gudmundur Sigurdarson, project manager at Minjastofnun Íslands, added: “Experiences of conserving cultural heritage in Scotland might well become helpful in Iceland, considering how drastically our climate is likely to change over the coming decades.
“The project case studies will be informative and helpful for anyone trying to plan for the future of historic sites in the 21st century.”
– Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs encourages the public to explore Scotland’s built heritage
– The Engine Shed opens to the public on 3 July
An exciting new chapter for Scotland’s heritage sector begins today as Historic Environment Scotland unveils The Engine Shed, its pioneering £11m national building conservation centre.
Based at Forthside Way in Stirling, The Engine Shed seeks to ensure the knowledge, skills and materials are available to look after the important cultural and economic asset that is Scotland’s 450,000 traditional buildings.
The new learning and visitor resource was officially opened by Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs Fiona Hyslop and will serve as the national conservation hub, using world-leading innovation to bring Scotland’s built heritage to life through technology and hands-on activities.
With sustainability at the heart of the building’s conservation, the former MOD munitions store has been respectfully adapted, retaining much of the original fabric and character of the original building while demonstrating how traditional materials can be used in a modern context in two extensions, also incorporating modern technologies to enhance its energy efficiency.
The centrepiece of the main space is a large-scale map of Scotland compiled from hi-resolution satellite images, from which visitors can access additional information using an iPad as an augmented reality device.
With interactive exhibits, a 4K 3D auditorium and augmented reality experiences, The Engine Shed aims to spark the public’s passion and interest with Scotland’s historic environment and inspire a new generation to be interested in traditional buildings.
The Engine Shed will be home to Historic Environment Scotland’s building conservation research and education facility, which will share its world class expertise with national and international partners in building conservation.
People across Scotland are being invited to visit The Engine Shed as it unveils a summer programme of events designed to encourage a greater understanding of Scotland’s historic buildings and traditional craft skills, as part of Scotland’s Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology. Workshops will include creating pieces inspired by Mackintosh’s designs currently on temporary display at The Engine Shed, which were recovered from the fire that affected The Glasgow School of Art’s Mackintosh Building in 2014.
Chair of Historic Environment Scotland Jane Ryder said: “Today’s opening marks a significant milestone in the journey of Historic Environment Scotland and The Engine Shed is a visible demonstration of our commitment to both leading and supporting the vital heritage economy.
“It is the result of great collaboration and partnership working, and thanks must go to the Scottish Government, Heritage Lottery Fund, European Regional Development Fund and the Historic Scotland Foundation, who have supported us in delivering this unique facility. In particular, thanks must go to our partners at Stirling Council for providing us with the building, which I hope will play a key role in continuing to maximise the potential of heritage-led regeneration through their broader city deal.
“This world-class facility is a wonderful living classroom with science and technology at its core, demonstrating that innovation can be inspired by the past. The Engine Shed is about thinking differently and challenging perceptions, which will act as a catalyst and a beacon for the historic environment.”
Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs, Fiona Hyslop said: “The new Engine Shed will couple state-of-the-art technology and world-leading innovation with our historic building traditions, inspiring a new generation to learn the traditional skills and use the authentic materials that will help to keep Scotland’s history alive.
“The Scottish Government has proudly supported this ambitious project since its very beginning, underlining the importance we place on protecting, preserving and promoting our rich history, heritage and built environment.
“I am particularly pleased to open The Engine Shed during Scotland’s Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology. The centre will help to provide a lasting legacy for the year, increasing knowledge and understanding of the values of our precious historic environment.”
Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund in Scotland Lucy Casot, said: “What is being done at The Engine Shed is leading the way, not just in Scotland but in the UK. We need people with traditional building skills to look after our heritage. Without them, historic buildings, whether it’s the local bank or a national monument, will crumble. Thanks to players of the National Lottery, we have been able to support this centre of excellence which will ensure that a new generation is equipped with the skills to care for the fabric of our nation.”
Stirling Council Leader Scott Farmer said: “Stirling Council has been delighted to support the development of The Engine Shed since the project’s inception and look forward to working closely on it with our partners Historic Environment Scotland. This adds another world class attraction to Stirling which will have a big impact economically, culturally and socially across the whole area.”
The Engine Shed will open its doors to the public on Monday 3 July and the building is open Monday to Saturday, between 10am-4pm. Entry is free. The building will be available to hire as a conference space, with room for up to 200 delegates.
For further information on the Engine Shed, please visit www.engineshed.org.
